Oklahoma’s Bradford has torn ligaments in non-throwing hand

Oklahoma quarterback Sam Bradford tore ligaments in his non-throwing hand during the Sooners’ victory over Oklahoma State on Saturday and is expected to have surgery after the Big 12 Conference championship game.

Sooners Coach Bob Stoops said Bradford was hurt on the third series of the game but played with the injury the rest of the game. He threw for 370 yards and four touchdowns and also ran for a score.

Bradford leads the nation with 46 touchdown passes this season, and he added to his long line of school records by passing 2003 Heisman Trophy winner Jason White’s career touchdown mark and 2000 Heisman runner-up Josh Heupel’s season passing mark on Saturday.

Stoops expects Bradford to play with a soft cast on his left hand in the championship game against No. 19 Missouri on Saturday.

Bradford had to play out of the shotgun in the second half against Oklahoma State, and Stoops said the hand injury contributed to two fumbled snaps.

Oklahoma will be without middle linebacker Austin Box, who sprained a ligament in his left knee, for the next three to four weeks. Stoops said Mike Balogun, who replaced Box on Saturday night, will be the replacement.

Kiffin confirmed

Lane Kiffin, the former Oakland Raiders coach and USC assistant, will be introduced at a news conference today as Tennesee’s next coach, Athletic Director Mike Hamilton said.

The announcement will come two days after Phillip Fulmer’s tenure ended with a grand and victorious send-off.

Kiffin, 33, replaces Fulmer, who was forced out after 17 seasons as Volunteers coach. Fulmer won a national championship in 1998 and two Southeastern Conference titles but had two losing seasons in the last five years, including a 5-7 mark this season.

ESPN, citing multiple unidentified sources, reported that Kiffin’s father, Tampa Bay Buccaneers defensive coordinator Monte Kiffin, will follow him to Tennessee.

Monte Kiffin is believed to make more money in his current job than all of the Tennessee assistant coaches combined.

Etc.

Auburn Coach Tommy Tuberville hit the road for recruiting Sunday and said he didn’t know when he would meet with University President Jay Gogue and Athletic Director Jay Jacobs on his job status.

John Hunt has been fired as offensive line coach at South Carolina, and quarterbacks coach David Reaves has resigned. Reaves is the brother-in-law of incoming Tennessee Coach Lane Kiffin. School officials would say only that Reaves is leaving to pursue other coaching opportunities. . . . Greg Alexander threw for a career-best 315 yards and two touchdowns as Hawaii (7-5) defeated Washington State (2-11), 24-10, at Honolulu on Saturday night and accepted an invitation to its hometown Hawaii Bowl.